-
MacBook Air vs 13″ MacBook Pro for FCPX
Hey all, it’s about time for me to upgrade my 5 year old White MacBook which has been using as much has it can. I’m wondering what would you recommend between those 2 systems to edit with FCPX on. Keep in mind that this will probably be my main editing system for a year, though i’ll probably get an iMac sooner or later for my primary editing system. I thought about getting an iMac now but I can’t really wait much longer for a new model. Plus I rather have a portable available when I need to edit somewhere else
a little about me, I’m just about to finish Film School, and I will be shooting my Final Project this year and probably editing a few projects for fellow classmates. I also might do the occasional paid job gig, probably mostly weddings
the Plusses I see for each system are as follows
MacBook Air:
Thinner and Lighter
SSD which is faster then hard drives
Higher Screen Resolution 1440×900 vs 1280×800MacBook Pro:
Faster CPU
Hard Drive while slower has more Capacity
Superdrive (which is a minor advantage, since you can buy an external one for 50$)thanks a lot, i’ll appreciate your opinions
-
6 Replies
-
MacBook Pro will also have a dedicated GPU, which will help immensely in working with FCPX.
-
Not on the 13″.
Best,
Andy -
Yeah but not the 13″ MBP which is the one i’m debating of buying, both computers have the Intel HD Graphics 4000
-
15″ MBP, quad core i7, 7200rpm system drive, 16 gigs of ram,
-
As others on here have and will tell you, a 15″ MBP with its discrete GPU will perform significantly better for FCPX and other GPU-optimized apps. That said, you specifically asked about the 13″ MBP vs the 13″ Air. I’d go with the Air mostly for its higher-resolution screen (which also reflects a bit less glare). The 13″ MBP has a claustrophobic 1280×800 screen while the Air has the same 1440×900 resolution as the base legacy 15″ MBP. The 256GB SSD in the Air is also $100 less expensive than the optional 265GB SSD in the 13″ MBP.
The only reason I’d go for the MBP is if you plan to predominantly use it with a second display and/or if you are a tinkerer and are interested in swapping out the ODD for a second HDD or SSD. You can also swap in 3rd party RAM up to 16GB in the MBP, while the Air has its RAM soldered onto the motherboard and is maxxed at 8GB.
Get the Air, especially if you are going to be getting an iMac for most of your editing work.
Best,
Andy -
Solid state and dedicated GPU is a must.
Retina also has CUDA GPU for Davinci or Premiere.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up